Page 20 of The Summer Guests

“We reallycanhelp,” said Maggie. “You know we have a few tricks up our sleeves.”

Jo shook her head. “With this family, I need to dot every i and cross every t. You heard what Elizabeth Conover said, about working with amateurs.”

“She doesn’t have to know we’re involved.”

“If she finds out, she’ll raise bloody hell.”

“We’re very good at not being seen.”

“Please, Maggie. Don’t make my job more complicated than ...” Jo paused. Took out her ringing cell phone. “Thibodeau,” she answered. Seconds later, her head snapped up. “Where was it found? And it wasjustturned in? Okay, send me the photo. I’ll show it to them.” Jo hung up and pivoted toward the house. Whatever news she’d just heard on the phone was so urgent it had made her temporarily forget Maggie was there. Jo straightened and took a breath before knocking on the door.

This time a younger woman appeared. Brown haired, disheveled, as if she had not slept in days. Exhaustion had hollowed her cheeks and drained the color from her face, and she looked at Jo with a mixture of fear and hope.The girl’s mother,thought Maggie.

“Susan,” said Jo quietly, “I need to show you something. A photo.”

“Oh God, have you found—”

“No, we haven’t found Zoe. This is something that was found yesterday afternoon, on Route One. It was at the side of the road. The driver turned it in to the Belfast Police Department this morning. It’s a backpack.”

Maggie edged closer, to listen in. Close enough to watch Susan Conover’s face as Jo pulled up the photo on her cell phone and showed it to her. Susan pressed her hand to her mouth, but it was not enough to muffle the keening from her throat. The sob was loud enough to bring a man out of the house, a man Maggie assumed was Susan’s husband, because he immediately wrapped his arms around her. She sagged against him, shaking, her face pressed to his shoulder.

“Ethan?” said Jo. “Is this Zoe’s backpack?”

He glanced at the photo and nodded. “Where was it?”

“A driver noticed it yesterday afternoon lying on Route One, about sixteen miles south of here. He stopped to pick it up. He assumed it fell off a bike or a motorcycle, and he didn’t get around to turning it in to the police until this morning.” Jo paused. “There’s a wallet with Zoe’s student ID in it, along with twenty-two dollars in cash.”

“And her phone? What about her phone?”

“There was no phone in the backpack.”

“Then she might still have it. If you can just locate the phone—”

“We don’t know where it is,” said Jo. “It hasn’t pinged off any cell towers since yesterday, around noon.”

“Where?”

“Gurney Road. That places it somewhere in this area.”

The conversation had drawn other members of the family out of the house. Now Elizabeth Conover stepped outside, followed by her son Colin and a blond woman.

“What about that man who said he dropped her off?” Colin asked. “That farmer with the truck. Did you askhimabout the phone?”

“Mr. Yount has been cooperative,” said Jo.

“What does that even mean?”

“He voluntarily surrendered his vehicle. The crime lab is examining it.”

“But what do you know abouthim? Does he have a criminal record? Has he ever done anything like—”

“I know Mr. Yount,” Maggie said. They all turned to look at her, suddenly registering the fact that she was there. “I know him very well, in fact. I have no doubt he’s telling the truth.”

“We have no idea whoyouare,” Colin said. “We’re supposed to take your word for it?”

The blond grasped Colin’s arm. “Let it go.”

“Nothing ever changes around here, does it? These locals, they always protect their own.”

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